President Taft was hissed by a number of women when he was
courageous enough to confess at the convention of the National
American Woman Suffrage Association that he was not altogether
in favor of women having the right to vote. President Taft was
welcoming the delegates to Washington, but told them frankly
that he was not altogether in sympathy with the suffrage
movement. He said he thought one of the dangers in granting
suffrage to women is that women as a whole are not interested
in it, and that the power of the ballot, so far as women
are concerned, would be controlled “by the least desirable
citizens.” When these words fell from the President’s lips
the walls of the convention hall echoed a chorus of feminine
hisses. It was no feeble demonstration of protest. The combined
hisses sounded as if a valve on a steam-engine had broken,
according to one correspondent. President Taft stood unmoved
during the demonstration of hostilities, for the hisses lasted
only a moment, and then smiling as he spoke he answered the
unfavorable greeting with this retort: “Now, my dear ladies,
you must show yourself capable of suffrage by exercising
that degree of restraint which is necessary in the conduct
of government affairs, by not hissing.” The women who had
made the demonstration were duly rebuked. The suffrage cause
was undoubtedly hurt by the demonstration, as the President,
regardless of his personal views, is entitled to consideration
and respectful attention.--_Wisconsin Farmer._
(2763)
=Retort Effecting a Change=--See ECCENTRICITY.